Uruguay striker Luis Suarez struck twice to take his season tally to 16 goals in 20 Major League Soccer (MLS) games as Inter Miami defeated Chicago Fire 4-1 on Saturday.
Miami, once again without Argentine star and captain Lionel Messi who continues to be sidelined by an ankle injury, have already secured their place in the playoffs and remain in top place for the regular season ‘Supporters’ Shield’.
But there was no sign of Gerardo Martinez’s side easing off as Suarez continued his impressive scoring form.
The 37-year-old former Barcelona striker made Miami’s opener in the 25th minute when his shot was parried by Chicago keeper Chris Brady only to fly into the net off the helpless defender Tobias Salquist.
Suarez was on target a minute into the second half when he beat Brady with a low left-foot shot at the near post after a smart exchange with Diego Gomez.
The veteran striker made it 3-0 with a close-range finish after a low ball into the box from his former Barcelona teammate Jordi Alba.
Messi out for Inter Miami as Leagues Cup begins
Giorgios Koutsias pulled a goal back for Chicago in the 82nd minute but Miami completed a convincing win when Leonardo Campana broke down the right and slipped the ball to substitute Robert Taylor with the Finnish winger making no mistake.
Defending champions Columbus Crew, fresh from their Leagues Cup triumph, look well placed to join Miami in the Eastern Conference post-season after two stoppage-time goals earned them a 4-2 win over New York City.
Algerian Mounsef Bakrar looked to have earned New York a point when he finished off a swift counter-attack to make it 2-2 in the 86th minute.
But in the third minute of stoppage time DeJuan Jones took advantage of some hesitant New York defending to poke home and then Jacen Russell-Rowe made it 4-2 for the Crew, who are third in the East.
FC Cincinnati, without suspended Argentine Luciano Acosta, remain a spot ahead of the Crew after a 4-1 win over Montreal with another Argentine, Luca Orellano, scoring twice.
In the Western Conference, second-placed Los Angeles FC suffered a surprise 2-0 home defeat to seventh-placed Houston Dynamo.
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